There are 10 things that are troubling about the recent ousting of Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy by the Republican Party. We agree with many commonsense Republicans that the recent crippling of American government by the eight extreme Republican House members cannot go on.

First: As GOP Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says: the one vote rule to vacate must be repealed. McCarthy agreed to the rule that the extremists demanded that allows just one person to call for a vote on the speaker and vacate the office. McCarthy agreed to this to win the speakership.

Second: The action by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to vacate was a kind of retribution as McCarthy allowed an ethics investigation to go forward related to allegations Gaetz and an associate had paid young women for sex. The Justice Department dropped the case and Gaetz was never charged.

Third: McCarthy has become universally untrustworthy, first breaking a budget agreement with President Joe Biden that the extreme right Freedom Caucus told McCarthy to renege on or lose his speakership. They claim he also reneged on the deal to them.

Fourth: McCarthy asked Democrats to help save his speakership a day or two after he blamed them for the pending government shutdown. This was an about face that left Democrats pondering their hand gestures.

Fifth: With the government continuing resolution passed with the help of Democrats, there remains a huge risk of government shutdown a few days before Thanksgiving. So the problem remains unsolved as House Republicans take a week off to ponder next steps.

Six: Those slated to replace McCarthy, Rep. Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, and Rep. Jim Jordan, of Ohio, are even more extreme right than McCarthy. Doing deals with Democrats in the Senate and Biden will be even more difficult. Continual dysfunction is in our future.

Seven: The chaos would allow the possibility of the House electing Ex-President Donald Trump as speaker. The law allows this. He would then have control over Biden impeachment hearings in an election year while running against him and being able to delay his own trials.

Eight: The recent chaos puts in jeopardy the bulk of budget bills to fund everything from agriculture to defense, and importantly delays or cuts critical funding to Ukraine, a democracy that is fighting the first invasion of a sovereign nation since World War II. Jordan and Scalise are opposed to funding Ukraine.

Nine: The ability of a relatively junior member of Congress, Gaetz, to have such power over a major party and the rise of infighting seems to spell doom for the GOP.

10: We’re troubled that the words of Alexis de Tocqueville in his “Democracy in America” might soon be true: “Everybody feels the evil, but no one has courage or energy enough to seek the cure.”

CNHI News Service